Ahead of President Xi Jinping's upcoming visit to the UK, foreign Minister Wang Yi says in terms of building a new type of international relationship, China and the United Kingdom "have every reason to become good partners of cooperation".

President Xi is on a five-day state visit to the UK at the invitation of Queen Elizabeth II, second visit in the last decade for the Chinese president.

According to Wang, the visit marks a new decade of China-UK comprehensive strategic partnership, which was established in 2004.

Wang adds that it enables the two countries to "take fresh steps in building a new type of state-to-state relations featuring win-win cooperation".

He also called for more efforts from both sides to strengthen practical cooperation in areas such as innovation-driven growth and manufacturing capacity.

"The two sides should form greater synergy between our respective strategies with the intent of delivering more benefits to the people," said Wang.

China has put forward the initiative of building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, and is working on the 13th five-year plan for economic and social development.

The UK plans to create a Northern Powerhouse and put forward a roadmap for developing the manufacturing sector between now and 2050.

The UK is China's second largest trading partner and top investment destination, while China is the UK's second largest trading partner outside the EU and a major investment destination in Asia.

The two-way trade volume between the two countries was $80.87 billion last year. On security issues, Wang appreciated the two countries' close communications on counter-terrorism, peacekeeping operations, and cyber security.

"China stands ready to strengthen communication and coordination with the UK on international and regional issues while working with the UK to promote world peace and stability," said Wang.

The foreign minister also said the two countries should be partners of mutual learning, as both are major civilizations with splendid cultures.

Over one million Chinese and Brits travel to each country each year. And 51 pairs of cities in the two countries have forged sister relations between them.

China plans to deepen the cultural exchanges with the UK and expand cooperation in tourism.